Hey, does anyone remember the campaign? Then-candidate Obama promised he would go through the federal budget "line-by-line" to get rid of earmarks? Yeah… So... How's that going? Yesterday, Sen. John McCain tried to strip thousands of earmarks from the new budget bill moving through Congress by introducing an amendment that would have reduced funding for several government departments to last year's levels. The amendment failed 63-32, with a simple majority needed for passage, despite the Senator's massive, and entertaining, Twitter campaign.Two brave Democrats voted with McCain: Senators Evan Bayh of Indiana and Claire McCaskill of Missouri. Ms. McCaskill, also a Tweeter, wrote: “Voted yes on McCain amendment. Awkward when I disagree with party leadership but I really think McCain is right on this one.” Eight Republicans voted against McCain, meaning they support earmarks and higher spending. By a strange coincidence, seven of them appropriations committee.
Republican Senator Mitch McConnell of Kentucky, admirably, voted for McCain’s amendment, even though he has about $75.5 million in earmark projects; like $950,000 for the Western Kentucky University bikeway project and $1.6 million for the Forage Animal Production Research Laboratory in Lexington. Check out a few other gems in the spending bill:
$819, 000 for catfish genetics research in Alabama
$400,000 for copper wire theft prevention efforts
$47,500 to remodel and expand a playground in Ottawa, Ill.
$209,000 for blueberry production in Georgia.
Okay, we don't want to come off like Bobby Jindal complaining about volcano-watching. Some of what gets labeled pork is, actually, perfectly reasonable spending. Like, it's certainly easy to make fun of "catfish genetics research," because it sounds funny. But who knows what advances might come from that study? Maybe we will learn to cure some fish disease and provide food for millions. Tattoo removal also gets ridiculed a great deal. But it's not that bad of an idea. This isn't girls getting their blurry tramp-stamp removed. The idea is that gang-bangers who want to change their ways can have incriminating tats removed as part of their rehabilitation. Given the other dumb ways that we spend money on criminal justice, that's not the world's worst use of funds.
But there is some stuff in the budget package that does legitimately suck -- straight-up wasteful government pork. For instance, a lot of the money in the bill goes for, basically, tourist attractions. There's a million bucks for Chicago's Adler Planetarium Sky Theater. That money was requested by former Congressman Rahm Emanuel, who's now the president’s chief of staff. There's $285,000 for the Discovery Center of Idaho in Boise, and $190,000 for the Buffalo Bill Historical Center in Cody, Wyo.
Sure. Because that's the biggest problem facing the United States today; a shortage of tourist attractions. The country is desperately, desperately short of things to see and do.
On last month's economic stimulus package, Obama took a reasonable stand against earmarks. The bill wasn't as pork-free as he claimed, but it was close. This budget, however, is a trip to Pork City, with about 9,000 bits of bacon. Obama ought, as he promised during the campaign, "go line-by-line" through the bill and gut wasteful programs. He has called for tough sacrifices. He, and the people around him, should also be willing to make them.
